The present invention relates to a harness or restraint, and to a method of using same, for temporarily immobilizing a patient's chest cavity or abdomen (or other body part) to relieve the strain which orrurs, for example, during periods of chest expansion or other movement. Specifically, the harness of the invention (1) is designed to provide a comfortable, snug fit during periods of relaxation, yet (2) is readily gripped and tightened using one or both hands to firmly encase the body during periods of movement or expansion such as those caused by coughing or sneezing. The use of the harness involves squeezably engaging mating end grips to temporarily tighten the harness about the effected body part.
Operations or injuries to the abdomen or upper body cavity frequently involve great trauma to muscle, tissue and/or bone. For example, merely gaining access to the heart cavity for heart surgery may involve cutting the sternum lengthwise using a power saw, in addition to cutting through tissue. This is in addition to the possibly extensive surgery to the heart muscle and connecting arteries and veins.
After the operation, the sternum is wired together, but for approximately 3 to 6 weeks, the patient suffers considerable pain. The pain is even worse when the patient moves, for example, when the chest expands during coughing or sneezing. Unfortunately, considerable congestion occurs during the recovery period and it is recommended that the patient cough as much as possible in order to remove fluid from the lungs, since post-operative pneumonia is a danger. Thus, the problem is that the patient must cough to avoid pneumonia, but coughing or sneezing causes excruciating pain due to the expansion of the chest cavity and the stress and strain on the healing sternum and tissue.
Various medical and safety harnesses are available which provide encircling support or restraint of body parts. For example, Hasslinger U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,013 teaches a harness for supporting and guiding an ambulatory patient comprising a strap which is securely belted about the body by Velcro.TM. fasteners. The harness includes a pair of handles or loops to permit an attendant to support and guide the movement of the patient. Simpson U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,130 discusses various types of medical constrictors which are used to control the circulation of blood. These include a strip of flexible material having projections along one section which fit into openings in an overlapping section. Velcro.TM. fasteners can be attached to the opposite ends of the constrictor strap. In the particular construction which is the subject of the Simpson patent, an elongated, flexible constrictor strip is used which has a ring fastened at one end. An end tab at the other end loops through the ring and is folded back to overlap and attach to the strap body via Velcro.TM. coupling surfaces or adhesive-type surfaces.
Kilmer U.S. Pat. No. 2,900,976 discloses a device for elevating an impaired limb, comprising a leg-encircling band which is raised and lowered by a pulley-supported cable. The band includes a flexible string which has a first ring at one end and a D-ring at the second end which passes through the first ring and attaches to the cable for encircling and elevating limb. Finally, DeMeo U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,474 discloses a safety belt which provides a handhold for passengers riding behind motorcycle drivers.
The adjustable link belt encircles the waist of the driver; the safety gripping feature is provided by a pair of hand grips or loops at the rear of the belt.
One problem with the above-described representative harnesses with respect to the need for a temporary immobilizer is that they are designed to securely restrain encircled body part without regard to quickness of application or release. Use of such harnesses as a chest or sternum splint would involve essentially continuous wear since it is not possible to quickly apply the device in anticipation of, or at the onset of coughing. However, continuous wear is contrary to the medical recovery technique of leaving the chest unbound to reduce the possibility of post-operative pneumonia.
The need for a temporary chest immobilizer which can be applied instantaneously was realized as the result of personal experience with surgery, the level of pain involved during the post-operative recovery process and the lack of available techniques and aids for effectively immobilizing the chest cavity during periods of coughing.
The need for such immobilizer becomes quite apparent when one considers that more than 170,000 heart bypass operations alone are performed in the United States annually.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for instantaneously encircling the body in response to or in preparation for the onset of coughing, etc. to immobilize the chest or sternum or other encircled body party.
It is another object to provide a light-weight strap or harness which is normally worn comfortably as a loose vest or belt and is adapted to be instantaneously closed in preparation for or in response to the onset of coughing, sneezing, etc. to immobilize the chest and sternum or other body part.
In one aspect, the present invention involves a method for restraining a selected body part by providing a wrapping member such as a belt or strap having a pair of spaced gripping members; positioning the strap about the circumference of the particular body part; and applying force via the gripping members to shorten the circumference of the strap and tighten the strap about the body part.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a harness for immobilizing a body part comprising a first strap having first and second sections for wrapping around opposite sides of the body to encircle the body; a pair of support straps attached to the first strap at spaced points for passing over the shoulders of the individual to support and position the first strap along the body; and a pair of gripping members attached one to each section of the strap at spaced points such that when the first strap is in position, the gripping members are closely spaced to permit squeezing engagement to close the strap about the body.
In still other, alternative aspects, the harness and support straps may be formed as part of a unitary vest structure; or the shoulder support straps may be omitted and the immobilizing strap used on body limbs.